Why Safety and Stress Don’t Mix
We’ve learned a great deal in recent years about the ways distraction can cause safety incidents, from concerning increases in distracted driving crashes to an uptick in emergency department visits for injuries tied to smart phone usage. At the same time, society has gained a deeper understanding of mental health and wellbeing—both of the prevalence of mental health challenges, and of their impact on our daily lives.
Stress has a huge impact on decision making, for example. In addition, the CDC reports that stress and poor mental health can impact employee job performance and productivity, engagement with one’s work, communication with coworkers, physical capability, and daily functioning.
On the upside, OSHA points out that workplaces can serve a critical function by delivering resources, solutions, and activities designed to improve mental health and wellbeing. Effective programs are a win-win, as data shows that for every $1 spent on ordinary mental health concerns, employers see a $4 return in productivity gains.
As workplace safety experts take a more holistic approach to their mission, they are uncovering the ways mental health and wellness intersect with their efforts. Just like physical health, mental wellbeing can impact employees’ focus, decision-making, engagement—and, ultimately, their physical safety. These findings validate UG2’s longstanding focus on our employees’ wellbeing and leave us strongly committed to integrating an understanding of mental health and wellness into our program and policy development.
UG2’s approach to mental health and wellness is in line with World Health Organization recommendations, which advise that employers protect and promote mental health at work, including by building awareness among managers and supervisors as well as among employees themselves. At UG2, this effort includes offering training modules that incorporate wellness, encouraging a two-way dialogue about stress-related concerns, building interpersonal communication skills, helping supervisors and employees recognize signs of emotional distress, and connecting employees to outside resources.
Promoting Mental Health and Wellness in the Workplace
Along with offering outside resources to employees looking for support, UG2 strives to create a culture that advances an understanding of mental wellbeing, and offers employees a range of practical, effective tools and strategies.
- Incorporating wellness practices like mindfulness, yoga, and gratitude practices.
- Promoting a team environment that emphasizes mutual care and respect.
- Incorporating regular check-ins along with informal opportunities to connect and communicate.
- Prioritizing self-care—critical in an environment where a commitment to our teammates and customers can put us at risk of ignoring our own needs.
- Encouraging connection and honoring the value of interpersonal relationships.
- Acknowledging the importance of mental health and wellbeing in conversations about workplace safety.
“Sometimes a smile or simple words of encouragement can make a real difference for someone dealing with mental health issues.”
Safety & Health Magazine suggests that employers:
- Begin by educating themselves on workplace mental health.
- Build employee awareness around mental health issues and the importance of self-care.
- Encourage conversations around mental health to erase stigma.
- Foster a company culture that values mental health, beginning with senior leadership.
- Connect workers with professional resources within or outside the company.
- Partner with employees to identify and mitigate job-related stressors that may interfere with mental health and wellness.
The COVID-19 pandemic raised our awareness about the impacts of stress and mental health, but the economic consequences of mental health challenges have been raising alarms since well before the pandemic, and concerns continue today. In fact, the estimated worldwide economic impact of mental disorders from 2011-2030 is estimated at a whopping 16.3 trillion, which, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is higher than that of other major diseases, cancer, and diabetes. This means that addressing mental health as part of your safety planning has never been more critical. UG2 is proud to nurture an environment that makes this goal a reality.